Meant to be Alone
by PiratesGirl3
Summary: 12/17/342 is the date in which the story is based on in Sailand. An Anima named Nicoma, a Mountain Lion Anima is a slave to a slave trader named Ed. She has been a slave for 10 years, now at the age of 16; she has forgotten what it was like being free,
1. Chapter 1

1**+Anima: Meant to be Alone?**

**Summary: **12/17/342 is the date in which the story is based on in Sailand. An +Anima named Nicoma, a Mountain Lion +Anima is a slave to a slave trader named Ed. She has been a slave for 10 years, now at the age of 16; she has forgotten what it was like being free, until she runs into Cooro, Husky, Nana and Senri. Bitter-sweet memories of being free and happy take over her mind and drive her in a frenzy to be free. Like Senri, Nicoma is a Kim-un-kur who lost her parents in a battle with the slave hunters. Her family was exiled from their tribe before she was born due to her father's rash reactions. But when she is finally free, will she be accepted into the group? Or will she be able to find her way back to her tribe and set things right? Read and see what is in store!

**Chapter 1: Dreaming of the Past**

The smell of moss clung heavily to the moist air as the fog began to lift itself off of the earth and rise into the cloudy sky above. I blinked several times to try and wake up from a stressful night of a bad thunderstorm. I lifted up my weary head and looked around the make-shift hut we lived in and sighed. The scent of venison cooking over the campfire caught my attention. I sifted my gaze so that it landed on my young mother. She was a mere 22 years, my father was 25; and I was a little scrawny 6 year old girl that had no siblings. I smiled weakly when my father walked over to me and picked me up out of my blankets and carried me to the low table that held our breakfast for the morning. He set me down on the dirt floor before he seated himself next to me; my mouth watered as I inspected the meal as my mother served it to us: hot venison, raspberries, and wild strawberries. To wash it all down, a flask of water for each of us. We all ate in silence as we always did; after the quick meal, I went down to play in the creek that was near our home. My mother followed, bringing with her the morning dishes to clean.

I slipped off my moccasins and then stepped into the cold, clear water of the creek. I giggled as I felt some small minnows wiggle about my feet and nibble at my toes. My mother kneeled down next to the shore and began scrubbing the small pile of dishes with a rag.

A small group of slave hunters rode through the valley below Moss Mountain looking for Kim-un-kur to capture in order to sell at slave markets throughout Sailand. This group was particularly small with only six men.

"Hey Brute, do ya think there would be any Kim-un-kur near the stream up hill more?" the second in command of the group suggested as they reigned their horses to a stop. The man named Brute, looked up toward the mountain's slope with some slight interest. He rubbed his chin with his callused thumb.

"Very well. Let's ride up the mountain about 3 furlongs. That should be high enough." Then with a loud whoop all the slave hunters spurred their horses into a gallop and headed up the mountain.

"Nicoma, Please don't wander too far!" My mom called out.

"Okay, mom!" I called back. I stood just around the bend in the creek about six yards away from her. I giggled as I crouched low on a small boulder and was ready to pounce at a good sized creek trout. I leaped into the air, and then landed with a loud splash into the deep pool where the fish had now darted away from my slashing body. I kicked back up to the water's surface; and came up spitting and sputtering. I was about to call out to my mom to see if she would like to join me with my fun but was cut off by an ear-piercing scream that sounded like her. "Mom?" I called out, somewhat scared.

"NICOMA! RUN! RUN!" She screamed back. I heard her stumble and fall in the water. I pulled myself out of the water and onto the rocky shore; then crept to the bend to see what was going on. When I was about to look; I was grabbed around the ankle and hoisted in the air. I screamed out of fear and flailed my arms from the sudden attack. I then saw that it was this strange man astride a horse that had a hold of me.

"Hey, Brute! Look what I caught." the man laughed as he ushered his horse around the corner to reveal me dangling by my ankle. My heart stopped when I saw my mom lying face down in the water not moving a muscle.

"Mom..." I whispered. Nothing happened. I began to cry, knowing that my mother was dead.

"Brute. We caught a male +Anima that seemed to be a bear." another man came to the scene.

--

I was woken by the sound of feet scuffing lazily on the ground. I lifted my head and blinked to adjust my vision. It was still dark outside; it appeared to be about an hour before sunrise. I yawned and stretched my arms as I tried to make myself stay awake. "Man. Ed, has us up to work awful early today. I guess we are about to get on the move." "Yeah. Guess so." I heard two young men talk as they passed the tent. I steadily got to my feet and crept to the entrance of the tent. I pulled back the flap and walked out into the night air. My eyes turned yellow so that I could accustom to my night vision. I saw a lot of people bustling about getting things packed up and readying the caravan to leave. I wondered where everyone was going, including me.

"I see you are finally up, little one." I whirled around to see my master, Ed towering over me with his arms crossed over his chest. "Well, you can go work with the others." I swallowed hard and gave him a confused, terrified look. He didn't change his determined expression and still stood firm and solid as a stone. I looked down and turned around and began to head towards a group of people. I stopped in my footsteps and looked over my shoulder to look at Ed once more with a pleading look. He just nodded out towards the group I was heading to; it seemed to me that he was serious with the fact of having me work with the others so suddenly and wasn't going to bother showing me around or what to do. I looked back to where I was heading and hung my head low as I approached the group of adults lifting crates onto wagons and tying them down. I looked back over my shoulder to see if Ed was still watching me; he was gone. I looked back at the adults and watched them for a bit to see what they were doing and see if I could do anything to help. If I was supposed to work; then I would have to work. No questions asked or any choice about the matter. I sighed deeply and gathered all my courage and slowly approached a crate that was about half my size; I grabbed the sides of the wooden box and tried with all my might to lift the crate off of the ground. The box weighed more than I did, and the box didn't budge a single inch no matter how I tried to pick it up, drag it, or push it.

"Hey now! Look at this guys. The new little squirt is trying to lift this crate full of horse shoes!" laughed a young man that was a Raccoon +Anima that stood several feet away from me. He was watching me with the greatest amusement when he was about to get the crate; but stopped in his tracks when he saw me trying to push the crate toward the wagon they were loading. He watched me collapse with exhaustion and start to cry out of frustration. "Aww.. I didn't mean to hurt ya, squirt. I was just making some fun. I'm sorry, kid. Here let me take this for ya." The guy lifted the crate off of the ground and handed it to another guy. "The name's Ringtail. What's your's?"

"Nicoma." I sniffed and wiped my tears away with my right forearm. I looked up at the young guy that now crouched down to bring himself down to my level. I sat on my knees and couldn't help the small hiccup that escaped my mouth. Ringtail smiled gently and rubbed the top of my head. I looked up at him with a slight shock and blinked the last tear out of my eye. "My dad used to do that." I whispered. Ringtail cocked his head slightly to the right when he heard my comment.

"Where are your parents anyway?" He asked as he looked out around the caravan to see if he could spot anyone that was wearing similar clothes I was.

"They're dead." I whimpered and choked as I tried to hold back a fresh batch of tears. Ringtail looked at me with some pity. His heart broke for me as he watched me cry from my loss.

"Then you were taken away by them there slave hunters, huh?" I nodded when Ringtail spoke the rest of what I was about to say. It seemed he knew my story pretty well; it must have happened to him as well. "Whelp. I guess Ed bought you to work. Well, how about I help you out and show you around and what you could do to help." I sniffed and looked up at him as he got to his feet. I nodded and smiled slightly.

Ever since then, he looked after me like a big brother. He showed me the ropes of what a slave like me would expect and was expected to do. He watched me grow from a little scrawny six year old to a young thin teenaged girl.


	2. Chapter 2

- - - 10 years later - - -

- Market Town -

The searing hot sun beamed down on the land making the sand extremely hot and unbearable. I trudged through the busy streets looking for the right item Ed sent me to get. I looked wearily from one cart and stand to the next. I was looking for a decent deal on wooden nails. Several of the wagons were breaking; especially the wheels. Since we were nearby this town, Ed decided to give me the job of doing the errand. With just the right luck, I found a deal worth taking. I bought a whole five pound sack of wooden nails for 25 Gillah. I paid for the nails I needed and turned to head back to the caravan; I then in turn bumped into the chest of a young man. I lifted my head to apologize but was rendered speechless when I saw that it was a fellow Kim- un-kur. He blinked with surprise when he saw me standing in front of him. I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

"Oh Senri, did you find a friend or something like that?" A young boy with black hair popped from behind the Kim-un-kur. _So, the young man is named Senri._ I thought. Then suddenly, the boy with black hair was joined by a young girl with blonde hair and another boy about the same age with silver hair. I looked at them with a slight fear. They didn't have any marks of being slaves; and Ed warned me about associating with free people. I had forgotten what it was like to be free; Ed told me that he had gotten me when I was small and had rescued me, and that he had Ringtail look after me. I had appreciated what Ed had done for me and had also offered protection against the harsh outside world that was unknown and dangerous. I began to hyperventilate from the fear choking me. Strange scenes flashed before my eyes of a young woman lying dead in front of me and being beaten by slave hunters. Before I could let anymore of the events flow through my mind; I took off in an attempted run back to the caravan. I stumbled into people and other enslaved +Anima; but then fell onto the sandy ground from running into an apple cart. I saw that the strange company of four were jogging toward me. I panicked and quickly got to my feet and ran as fast as I could out of town to get to the caravan. I panted as I pushed my body to its limit; my lungs burned from the hot oxygen drying out my throat and airways as I gasped and choked to keep breathing. I reached the caravan and ended up running straight into Ringtail. I fell back and landed on my back. The instant I hit the sand, I slipped into unconsciousness. Ringtail quickly scooped me up in his arms and quickly brought me into his tent to get me into the shade to help break the slight fever that began to form.

"YOU! YOU'RE BACK WHY? WHAT DO YOU KIDS WANT FROM MY LIFE THIS TIME?" Ed shouted as he saw Cooro, Husky, Nana and Senri jog into the caravan and end up running over to him.

" We are looking for a girl that ran in your caravan. She was about Senri's age and ran in here. We wanted to talk to her and see if she was okay. She began acting funny and seemed to be hurting when she saw Senri." Nana and Cooro explained. Ed crossed his arms in front of his chest and quirked an eyebrow. He tiled his head back and glared down at the young +Anima.

" Was she wearing a red bandana and black ones around her wrists and ankles?"

" YEAH!" Cooro chirped.

" Oh. Then you must have seen my slave, Nicoma. She was getting wooden nails for my wagons. They seem to be falling apart." Ed looked around to see if he could spot me. When he didn't see me anywhere, he hung his head and sighed with frustration. " What did she get into NOW!" Ed stormed over to Ringtail's tent and entered with a huff. He saw Ringtail dousing my forehead with a wet cloth and wash my face. " What happened this time?" Ed screamed. Ringtail didn't remove his gaze from me and answered with a steady tone.

" The heat got to her. She is starting to get a fever and is slightly dehydrated."

" Did she get my nails?" Ed's answer was Ringtail throwing the sack at him. Ed caught it and nodded. " Fine. See that she gets better by tonight. She WILL do her night watch tonight, no matter what. Got it?"

" Very well." Ringtail murmured and carefully poured a small amount of water into my mouth to help try and get me to drink. I coughed up the water and moaned from the pain of a headache forming from being so warm and thirsty. Ed left the tent to have the wagons start being fixed.

" Will we be able to see her soon?" Nana asked as Ed passed them.

" Right now she is slightly ill. But by tonight you will be able to see her. Just wait till she comes out of the tent." Ed instructed and headed to his other slaves to start the repairs.

--

" Wake up, shorty. I know you are better. The fever is gone and I DID see you grab the water gourd." Ringtail smiled as I cracked open my left eye. I smiled and opened both eyes as I sat up. I stretched my arms above my head and yawned exposing razor sharp cougar teeth. I was then fed a small loaf of bread and an orange. " Ed wants you out for night watch. You better get out there." Ringtail sighed and waved me out of the tent. I exited the tent and slowly crept through the caravan to stand on the outskirts for the job of being the only night watcher.

After waiting an hour, the sun had set and darkness shrouded everything. The blackness of the night comforted me and awoke this savage feeling of being a blood thirsty hunter. My thoughts came to a screeching halt when the sound of foot steps caught my attention. I perked my cougar ears in attempt to locate where the sound was coming from and where it was going. I swished my tail impatiently and exposed my sharp claws. I licked my fangs in hopes to sink them into flesh and taste blood. I found the source to be ahead of me and was about 100 yards away. I crept silently toward the source, eager for the attack. From the sound of the person walking; they weren't very big. More like a young trouble maker. I was about to swipe the person when I was tackled by a man. I fell to the ground as well as my attacker. I screamed like a mountain lion and swiped at the man. He caught my wrists and pinned them to the ground. I bent my legs and pushed my feet against his stomach and launched him over my head, to fall five feet away and landing on his back. I quickly got to my feet and pounced on him and was ready to slash him to bits but was stopped when I noticed that it was the same young man I ran into in the town. My eyes went wide and I froze with both shock and embarrassment.

" Senri! Are you all right?" I looked up to see the same young black haired boy running over with the other two children. My eyes grew wider with a twinge of fear and I tensed almost afraid to move; but everything hit me when I heard Ringtail starting to wake up. I quickly got off of the man named Senri and began to run toward the wagons; but was stopped short by Senri grabbing my ankles causing me to fall. I caught myself with my hands and tried to wriggle my ankles free, but was unable to. Another wave of panic washed through my body as I heard Ed get out of bed and out of his tent to see what all the commotion was.

" What is going on here!" Ed shouted when he lifted his torch to see Senri pinning me to the ground. My struggling came to a stop when I heard Ed's voice. " Get off of my slave!" Ed shouted as he pushed Senri off of me.

" Senri didn't mean it, Sir! He was just saving Nana from her." Cooro explained. Ed raised an eyebrow and looked down at me still lying on the ground. Then he looked back at the four new comers with the slightest of irritation.

" Nicoma is on night watch. You must have caught her attention and thought you were raiders. It's not her fault. It's your's for sneaking around at this time of night!" he stormed up to me; I flinched slightly as he quickly grabbed me by my tunic and pulled me to my feet. Once standing, Ed let go of my tunic and grabbed a fistful of my long gray hair, then began to drag me toward Ringtail who was standing outside his tent. Then with a quick toss, Ed threw me back onto the sandy ground before leaving to go back inside his tent.

" I'll take over the rest of the watch for now. Get inside the tent and rest." Ringtail whispered as he helped me to my feet and gently guided me inside the tent. When I was inside the tent, Ringtail crept throughout the Caravan making sure everything was all right.

--

The sky began to show signs of dawn approaching; Ed walked out of his tent and stood before Ringtail, he gave orders to have everyone prepare to leave immediately. Ringtail nodded and began to arouse everyone in the Caravan to pack up and depart. It only took an hour to get everything packed and start on our way to Stella. Before we got going on the road; Ed had me tied to the back of the last wagon as punishment from the night before during night watch. After fastening the rope around my wrists and the other end to the wagon, the Caravan got moving.

Hours and miles later; I slowly trudged through the sand, no longer trying to keep the pace of the wagons. No one had stopped for a break of any kind. My throat was dry and soar from the lack of moisture in the air. The sun was high in the sky, and signaled that it was the hottest point of the day. I panted to try and keep cool from the harsh sun rays; I could no longer swallow, my throat was dry and seemed to swell from the lack of fluids. I collapsed onto the ground, exhausted from the non-stop journey. I winced in pain from the rope snapping tight around my wrists; suddenly I was being dragged through the sand by the wagon I was connected to. I just laid there allowing to be pulled through the deep sand by my wrists; I didn't care anymore.

I suddenly came to my senses when I felt strong hands grab me around my upper torso; then I was hoisted up into someone's arms and carried along behind the wagon. I wearily opened my eyes to see a bleary form of a man. I blinked to help clarify my vision; there the bleary man was revealed to be Senri. I was too tired to struggle let alone talk; I just stared at him wearily as he carried me behind the wagon.

"Good job, Senri! Now all we need is to keep her cool!" " my gaze drifted upward and saw the boy with the black hair that was named Cooro. I blinked and realized that he was an +Anima; a crow +Anima. Maybe the whole group of them were +Anima; I looked at Senri's side and saw both the girl and the other boy. I closed my eyes once again and allowed myself to drift off into dream.

"Wake up! Wake up, Nicoma!" " I heard a young girl and boy call out to me; I couldn't tell who they were but they were definitely disturbing my dreams. I slowly opened my eyes and saw Cooro and the girl right in front of my face; I jumped with surprise and slight confusion. _So I wasn't dreaming__" __They were really there__" _I looked at all four of them and sat up and crossed my legs. I stretched my arms over my head and yawned. Just as I yawned Cooro shoved an apple in my mouth. I opened my eyes and pulled the fruit out of my mouth; then I glared at him with irritation. I threw the apple back at Cooro and got to my feet. Without a word said, I walked away from the four of them and headed in my search for Ringtail. I walked past Ed's tent but was stopped in my tracks when I overheard him talking to Ringtail about something. I crept closer to the side of the tent and pressed my ear as close to the cloth as possible and not have my presence known.

"What are you proposing, Master?" Ringtail asked while shifting from one foot to the other.

"I want her under control, Ringtail! She has been too bold with my orders! She either gets her act together or I'll kill her myself!" Ed hissed, trying not to get his voice loud. "Nicoma needs to be controlled! Or she will suffer the punishment far worse that what her parents went through!"

"Yes, Master." Ringtail had bowed his head and murmured his response. I stepped away from the tent with the numbness of shock on what I heard. I stepped back another pace and ended up bumping into someone. I turned around to see it was Senri. I shook my head with disbelief and ran away from both him and the tent. I couldn't stay here another second; I knew if I stayed I would die.

--

I ran with all my might; I exited the camp and entered the vast desert. I didn't care if the desert would eventually kill me, from the lack of nourishment of any kind. I had to get away from what I had come to know of slave hood. I didn't stop until I felt the distance between me and the caravan was a good ten miles. I gasped and panted as I trudged and then collapsed onto my knees. It took a good couple minutes for my breathing to calm down; I blinked to allow my +Anima eyes activate. I glanced around my surroundings with my glowing yellow eyes; I saw nothing but the vast sand ocean that lay around me. I wasn't impressed and began smelling the cold night air seeing if I could smell if anyone had followed me. Someone DID follow me! I growled low in my throat and allowed my nails to become claws and my teeth into fangs. I heard the faint footsteps stir up sand and faint breathing. I slowly laid myself down on my right side in the desert sand to make it look like I had passed out from exhaustion. I closed my eyes and waited for my prey to come to me.

I felt hands push me so that I was now lying on my back; I kept still sensing that the person was stronger than me which concluded that it was a young man. I could hear him breathing heavily as he inspected me. I could feel his gaze wander, and that made me feel very uncomfortable. But something felt familiar about this man; and I knew what it was, he smelled familiar! I tried to figure out who it was that had found me. I knew it wasn't Ringtail, and it wasn't Ed; otherwise I would be fighting for my life. Then I was answered by another person arriving who was wheezing from exhaustion as well as the sound of wings flapping. I then knew who it was, it was the +Anima that had joined the caravan and wouldn't leave me alone! _Oh great! Now what do I do?_ I screamed in my head. My thoughts came to a screeching halt when I felt someone poking me with a staff.

"Do you think she is dead?"

"What made her run away from the caravan like this?" the girl asked.

I felt whoever was poking me with the staff jab and poke me even harder than before. I couldn't take the aggravation anymore, and I revealed that I was indeed still very much alive and annoyed. I grabbed the staff out of the silver haired boy and swung it like a bat at all four of them. I swung out repeatedly and knocked over the boy with silver hair and swatted Cooro out of the air making him crash land on the sandy ground. Then right as I was about to make a break for it; Senri swatted the staff out of my hands and held me fast to the ground. I thrashed and wiggled trying to get free from the male Kim-un-kur; but was at a loss on account of being exhausted from running away from the camp.

--

A small stick snapped from within the campfire. I was transfixed at the flames; they appeared to be confined by a small stone ring but yet acted wild as if threatening to break free and wreak havoc. I felt a sense of familiarity with the fire and was comforted by it. I felt watched and looked up from the fire to meet the silent yet curious gazes from the four other +Animas.

"What do you want?" I spat out at them with a nasty glare that I revealed to them.

"I was wondering if you would like to come with us! I bet Nana here would like your company since she is the only girl." Cooro smiled and chomped into an apple he pulled out of his pocket. I looked at the blonde haired girl with a raised eyebrow. She glared at Cooro and crossed her arms.

"So your name is Nana." I chewed on dried piece of venison. "And who is handsome over there?" I nodded my head toward the boy with the silver hair.

"Oh! That is Husky!" Nana smiled and pushed Husky playfully on the shoulder. I smiled while chewing; I noticed that Nana liked Husky more than what she was leading onto.

"And this is Senri!" Cooro pointed to the other Kim-un-kur.

"We've already met too many times." I muttered as I crossed my legs the same way Senri was sitting.

"Are you a Kim-un-kur too?" Cooro asked as he swallowed the last of his apple. I looked at him with a blank stare and looked down at my folded legs before quietly nodding. "Where is your family?" I looked at the four and glared dangerously at Cooro. That was one subject I hated to bring up. I got to my feet and walked silently away from the group and headed onto a nearby sand dune. "Was it something I said?"


	3. Chapter 3

--

// _"Will you just hold still you little beast!" __I wriggled out of Brute's hands trying to get away and make a break back to Moss Mountain. Before I could get far enough away from the huge slave hunter; two more joined him and grabbed a hold of me. I gasped at how rough and tight they were holding me. "Hold her still! I'm gonna teacher her a lesson on bitting me!" Next thing I knew I felt nothing but pain and I saw nothing but a splash of different colors speckled with black dots. Brute had beat me with his fists and was still hitting me. Something hit me harder on my rib cage; it felt more solid than his hands. Everything was so distorted I couldn't tell what was fantasy and what was reality. I felt the solid object hit me again and again on my head and torso. Then after what seemed like hours; I was dropped and hog tied. I was then lifted and thrown onto a wooden wagon. Then the black dots grew and took over the last bit of my vision._

_I blinked slowly as to not show any sign that I came to my senses. I saw that I was in a wagon being pulled by what sounded like a horse and was heavily guarded by every slave hunter that came and captured me. I saw that I was lying next to a bloody piece of a thick piece of wood. I winced and felt sick to my stomach just looking at it. The blood I realized was mine; there was a good flowing wound on my head that wasn't tended to as well as my side. I slowly glanced down my tunic and saw that my whole mid-section was black and blue. The wagon hit a stone and caused the wooden carrier to bounce. I gasped and lost consciousness once more._//

--

I shook my head to try and rid myself of these haunting memories. But it was no use as another one took over my mind, along with the coming of a soft breeze.

Senri got to his feet and left his friends at the campfire. They were eating some food that they had in their packs. No one decided to follow Senri; all of them knew where he was going. During their discussions, they were trying to figure out who should go talk to the new +Anima and now it was apparent that Senri had volunteered. He had finally reached my side and looked at me with great interest to see that I didn't move due to his presence. Then he noticed that my eyes were wide and glossed over. Senri looked around to see nothing but the desert and of course the small camp. He lifted his hand and rested it gently on my shoulder.

I jumped at the touch of a hand on my shoulder. Reality snapped and I blinked and looked next to me to see Senri staring at me. My gaze grew dark and I balled my fists; then I swung out at Senri and ended up slamming my fist repeatedly onto Senri's chest. He looked down at he and blinked as I cried and then gave up my attack. Then I fell forward into his arms, still weeping uncontrollably. After crying for several minutes I opened my eyes to see that I was being held by Senri. I looked up without moving my head and saw that he was stroking my head in an attempt to comfort me. I moved my eyes to my waist to see Senri's other hand wrapped around my body. My mind was numb and I couldn't think, I was so dumbfounded. _How did I get like this?_ My mind was racing through nothing but blank spaces. I couldn't think; let alone move. Then without much thought I closed my eyes and slipped into slumber.

Senri felt me relax and looked down at my face to see that I was sleeping standing up. He smiled and picked me up into his arms. He sighed and walked slowly back to the camp where his friends were getting ready to go to sleep.

Nana and Cooro watched Senri walk into the camp with me in his arms. They saw that I was fast asleep and showed no signs of waking. Nana sighed and hugged Cooro. "Isn't that so romantic?" She sighed again. Cooro blinked and looked from Nana to Senri now setting me on his bedroll.

"Romantic?" He asked. Nana looked at him and shoved him over and flung her blanket over herself while fuming. Cooro shrugged and went back to bed. Nana peeked out from under her blanket to see Senri cover me and gave me a kiss on the forehead before walking to the outskirts of the camp for night watch. She smiled and sighed one last time before going back to bed.


	4. Chapter 4

I woke at dawn; the heat of the coming sun stirred me from my sleep. I sat up and yawned; then got to my feet and stretched my arms over my head. Once I was fully awake; I looked down at where I had been sleeping. My eyes beheld a blanket and bedroll. I furrowed my brow; I was positive that I didn't bring anything, especially any form of bedding. I looked next to the makeshift bed and saw Senri sleeping next to it. My heart stopped and sank as my stomach lurched and knotted itself. I began to walk quickly to the outside of the camp; before I got to the outskirts, I fell to my knees. I then began to crawl as quick as I could, trying to get away and not get sick at the same time.

Not long after stopping only a short walk away from the camp; I had successfully gotten sick. I clenched my stomach as wave after wave of pain shot through, this was not going to be a good morning. I had to get back to Moss Mountain; I had to go back home. The question now that stood before me was; where exactly was home? Which way do I go? Just as I was about to stand back up, I heard Cooro, Husky, Nana and Senri coming my way. I was in no mood to have them accompany me, which I had a hunch that they would ask.

"Nicoma? Is everything all right?" Nana asked as she stood at my side; I closed my eyes as I stood to my full height which I towered over all the children, except Senri.

"I'm fine. Now if you excuse me; I have to find my way home." I didn't look at any of them and started to walk back to the desert border.

"Back to the Caravan?" Cooro asked, "Then why did you run away if you are going back?" I stopped and turned to face the four.

"Not the Caravan. That was never home to me. My home is on Moss Mountain; I am needed back there. I have to go back. I have family there." I couldn't look anyone in the eye when I spoke the last words. There was too much pain in the memories of being home the day I was taken as a slave.

"Can we come too? We can help you there! We know where Moss Mountain is!" Cooro chirped. I was about to refuse their help but stopped when he had mentioned that they had been to Moss Mountain.

"Have you been there recently?" I crossed my arms and quirked an eyebrow.

"Yup! About three months ago! Will you take us then?" Cooro asked as he tugged on my sleeve.

"I guess so; you'll have to show me the way." I sighed. "I forgot the way ever since I had become a slave."

"How long were you a slave?" Nana asked, as we made our journey to Moss Mountain.

"10 years." I looked straight ahead as we began to enter a forest. Everyone fell silent and stopped short, while I kept walking forward. But after recovering from their shock, they raced to catch up with me.

-2 months later-

We stopped for the night and I had helped them gather food, water and firewood. I watched Senri build a fire and prepare dinner; I got up from where I was sitting and decided to take a walk to the nearby stream. I bent over the water and looked into the water and watched my reflection with a grim expression. I looked like my mother, but had my father's stern eyes; my gaze drifted to the red bandana that was around my forehead. I pulled it off of my head and held it while grimacing. I threw it into the stream and watched it float downstream, never to be seen again. I then took the black bandanas off of my ankles and tied them together and used it as a hair tie. I left the two on my wrists alone since they represented my parents and their untimely death.

Throughout the night I had slept soundly in the branches of a tree that was in the camp. I had felt safe and secure, but most of all, free. It was the best I had felt and slept in 10 years. Not to mention we were only now a day's journey away from Moss Mountain.

- The Next Morning-

I woke as the sun began to rise over the horizon, bringing the new day. I stretched and yawned while still perfectly balanced on a branch. I looked down and saw that I wasn't the only one up at the crack of dawn; Senri was fanning the hot coals in the fire ring, attempting to get the fire going again. I sighed and silently leaped off of the branch. I landed on my feet and stood to my full height. Senri looked at me and cocked his head to the side. I looked at the others and turned to the direction we were going to travel. I looked back at Senri and then spun on my heals and began walking up the mountain. I was stopped short when a hand grabbed my wrist. I looked over my shoulder and saw Senri standing behind me. I turned around and faced him with a concerned expression.

"Don't go." He spoke as he pulled me closer. I pulled away and stepped back a pace while not taking my eyes off of him.

"I have to go. I am no longer needed in your group. I can find my way from here." I explained while backing away. I was speechless and upset with myself as I saw the others come into view. As I kept backing away, Senri kept advancing; and shortly I was backed into a tree.

"What's going on?" Cooro asked as he, Nana and Husky arrived to the scene. I looked down at the three children with a helpless expression.

"Nicoma…leaving…." Senri said as he watched my every move.

"What!" Nana shouted.

"Nana, calm down!" Husky pulled her arm, trying to hold her back from storming to me.

"What do you mean by 'leaving'?" Nana bellowed as she struggled to free her arm from Husky.

"I can find my own way now-"

"But you haven't been here in 10 years." Cooro spoke up.

"Yeah! What makes you so sure that you know where you are going!" Nana fumed as she broke free and stepped forward.

"Because unlike any of you, I have great tracking instincts and am able to climb this mountain faster than any of you!" I pushed past Senri and faced off Nana. "I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP ANYMORE!" I screamed and stormed up the mountain without looking back. The four of them stood still and watched silently as I disappeared into the forest never to be seen again. Senri looked around at his friends as if questioning them on what to do now; but no one seemed to look at him or even speak a single word. Finally, making up his mind, Senri ventured forward to the mountain. Cooro, Husky and Nana snapped out of their stunned states and went after Senri.

I stopped half way up the mountain at a small creek. I decided to go refresh myself, so I went to the water's edge and knelt down to get a drink. I looked at my reflection in the water and saw my mother's face staring right back at me. I closed my eyes and tried to shake the horrible memories out of my mind. I opened my eyes once more and looked around at my surroundings; everything looked so familiar…a flashback of me playing in the water while my mother cleaned the morning dishes flashed before my eyes. I sat back on the ground stunned; this was the same spot where all my troubles began, where my parents were horribly murdered and I was taken into slavery. I numbly got to my feet and stepped into the cold clear water. I slowly walked across the creek and climbed the bank. Once I was on firm land once more I looked around before walking northeast. After walking several hundred yards, I stopped on the edge of a small clearing which only held occupancy to a small abandoned longhouse. I was frozen to the spot as I stared at the small dwelling. A small breeze blew making my hair sway as it blew past me and rustled the curtain door. The sight of my old home brought too many memories of my life before slavery back. I could see me running about the clearing laughing as my father chased me, eventually swooping me off my feet and into his arms, before lightly tossing me into the air and catching me. I could almost see my mother smiling as she sewed a buckskin dress for me by the door to our home. A single tear slid down my cheek as I watched my past fly by my eyes.

Suddenly reality came rushing back when I felt a strong presence known behind me. I spun around ready to punch my attacker but was stopped when a hand grabbed my fist. Out of the shadows appeared Senri with Cooro, Nana and Husky. I tried to pull my hand away but Senri refused to release me. I glared and spun around and flipped him over my body making him land onto the ground. Unfortunately he didn't release me and in turn flipped me onto the ground. I went to get to my feet but was quickly stopped by Senri pinning me down. I growled low in frustration as the other children approached the both of us.

"What do you want with me!" I gritted out when Cooro and the others reached my side. I refused to look away from Senri as he stared back blankly.

"We were only following Senri; we weren't following you." Cooro said as he bent down to look at me.

"Well then…GET him off of me!" I yelled as I struggled once more.

"Why should we!" Nana put her hands on her hips. Everyone grew quiet and looked at Nana with shock and surprise. She glared at me and I matched her expression. "All you ever did to us was be mean and then when you start being our friend you leave us without a good enough excuse." She huffed.

"Not good enough-" I curled my legs up to my midsection and kicked Senri off of me. I got to my feet and stormed over to Nana. I grabbed her by the front of her dress and lifted her off of her feet and looked her in the eye. "YOU listen here! Who are YOU to tell me what to do and where to go? WHAT do I look like to you? I'm not your child!" I screamed and shook her sternly. She swallowed hard and now had the expression of fear written all over her face. I fell silent and just looked at her as she cowered in my grasp; flashes of me being carried away to be sold in the slave market flashed in my head. I blinked and looked away; I took a deep breath and dropped Nana as I began to fall to my knees. Senri quickly got to his feet and caught me before I hit the ground. I was now hyperventilating and looked around quickly as if I was lost and couldn't find my way. Cooro and Husky helped Nana to her feet; now all three of the children's attention on what was now happening to me.

"What's going on?" Cooro asked as he looked at me now gripping at Senri's tunic.

"I don't know…" Nana trailed off as she tried to touch my forehead to see if I was having a fever. I flinched away from her hand and buried my head in Senri's chest.

"Let's get her inside that house." Husky instructed and walked over to the entrance. Nana held open the curtain and looked inside before looking over her shoulder to see Senri gather me in his arms and walk over. He walked inside the longhouse and set me on my old makeshift bed that consisted of furs laid out on the ground and handmade blankets to cover up.

It was nightfall and everyone was fast asleep; all except Senri. He looked silently around at his friends and his gaze finally rested on me. He crawled over to me as quietly as possible and leaned over me. I was still out cold from the earlier event and didn't seem to want to wake anytime soon. He leaned forward so that his face was within inches of mine; suddenly my eyes shot open to find Senri's face a little too close for comfort. I reacted without even thinking and shot up, my head smashing into his. We both landed back on the ground, holding our heads in pain. Surprisingly, the others didn't even flinch in their sleep. I quickly recovered and jumped to my feet and walked outside. Senri shook his head and followed. He found me standing outside the longhouse gazing up at the stars. He walked up next to me and looked up at the night sky as well.

Our heads snapped down when we heard a stick snap under the weight of someone coming. Senri pushed me behind him and pulled out his sword. I glanced over his shoulder and pushed past him and ran to the edge of the clearing where I was met up with the chief of the Shuros tribe, Si Mukar. I bowed to him; he smiled and touched the top of my head. I looked up and smiled back and hugged him. Senri sheathed his sword and straightened back to his full height.

Cooro, Husky and Nana woke when they heard some people talking; they were shocked when they saw Senri and I among the missing in the longhouse. The children got to their feet and stalked out of their shelter to see me being hugged by Mukar.

"What's going on?" Cooro asked as the three of them finally reached Senri's side. I looked over my shoulder to see Nana, Husky and Cooro staring at me with shock written all over their faces.

"Si Mukar is my uncle." I turned around to face the three children and smiled sadly.

"Your uncle!" the three practically fell back with astonishment.

"So what is your decision, Nicoma?" Mukar spoke up; I looked back at him and then returned my gaze at Senri.

"I would give anything to come back to live with you, but…." I looked down at my feet and felt shame cloud my thoughts. Mukar rested a hand on my shoulder, encouraging me to finish my piece. "I have come to love someone. Someone who I think couldn't bear to part with his friends." I looked up at Senri with a sad expression and allowed a single tear to fall. "I am so confused." I choked out the last of my sentence and hung my head so no one could see the other tears fall.

All was silent as I composed myself enough to look someone in the eye. Senri walked up to me and looked me directly in the eye; he looked as if he was searching for something to help ease the confusion and stress on the situation. He then looked over at his three younger friends with a troubled look.

"I will go with you." He spoke out loud.

"What?" I couldn't help but ask the dumb question; I couldn't seem to choke down what he had decided. Senri looked down at me and smiled.

"I go with you." He wrapped his arms around me and held me close. I glance nervously over at Cooro and the others to see them as shocked about the whole thing as I was.

"Very well; Come along." Mukar motioned both me and Senri to follow. Senri pulled me with him and all three of us disappeared into the dark forest never to be seen again. Leaving the three children all alone.

-1 year later-

Senri lead his horse through a grassy field with me on its back. He was taking me to see Cooro, Husky and Nana who were living with Harden. We were almost there and we were both very excited about seeing them after being a year apart. Senri stopped the horse outside the simple house and helped me get off of the animal. I smiled and kissed him gently; we walked to the front door and we were greeted by Margaret who invited us in. I sat down in front of the fireplace as Senri stood behind me. We smiled when the bundle I was holding murmured and whined. Margaret walked over with Harden now in tow to see what we had brought. The four of us smiled and whispered cheerfully about what happened throughout the year we were separated from the three others.

"Senri? Nicoma?" Nana popped her head into view soon followed by the two boys. We looked at them and smiled joyfully. The three children smiled and ran to greet their long lost friend. All celebrating was put on a pause when the small bear skin bundle in my arms squirmed and whined.

"Huh?" Cooro leaned in closer and went to touch the fur blanket. I looked down at the bundle and gently unfolded the top flap to reveal a beautiful baby boy. The three friends gasped, Nana squealed and held her hands in front of her mouth to keep herself under control.

"Cooro, Husky, Nana, we would like you to meet our son, Baine." I smiled and stroked the small patch of hair on his head. "He has the +Anima of a wolf like his great uncle."

"He looks just like Senri!" Husky smiled as the infant groggily to open his eyes. Senri knelt down next to me and smiled down at his son, as the infant scrunched up his tiny face and began to cry out of hunger. Senri removed his shawl and draped it over me; I thanked him and draped the end of the shawl over the baby's head allowing some privacy as I guided his mouth to my breast so that he could get his nourishment. After discussing many topics, Senri and I decided that we would live in both worlds. We would live a year or so with the Kim-un-kur and then do the same, here with Harden and Margaret so that we could spend time with all five of Senri's friends. After Baine was finished feeding, I patted his back waiting for him to burp. After a small burp escaped him, I allowed him to be passed around for everyone to enjoy and get to know the new member of the family. By the time he got to Husky, he began to make a face and burped up his meal all over Husky's shirt. Cooro couldn't help but laugh at Husky's misfortune. Husky pulled out his staff and gave Cooro a good wack on the head. We all laughed as the two boys fought, Margaret helped Nana clean both Husky's shirt and Baine's face and tunic. I smiled and sighed watching everyone fight about who could hold Baine; eventually Harden got a chance to hold the small Kim-un-kur and smiled with a twinkle in his eye. One would swear he was the child's grandfather; Margaret helped him with Baine's small tunic as it was place back on him from the earlier incident. I was glad to have finally felt whole in the fact that I now had a family; people who needed me. I closed my eyes and sighed as I reclined into Senri's arms; I felt so safe there and knew I would always be.

-**The End**-


End file.
